Millions of people visit Budapest every year, crowding into the Buda Castle area, or walking the famous Széchenyi Chain Bridge across the Danube river. They visit the thermal baths, and enjoy the city’s rich cuisine. But how many tourists – or even locals – stumble across the city’s lesser known sights? A new title – Secret Budapest from Jonglez Publishing – seeks to fill in the gap, to reveal some of the city’s secret places.
Contents
What Is Secret Budapest?
Unlike conventional guidebooks Secret Budapest “will not guide you to the main tourist attractions of the city of Budapest”. Instead it invites you to discover the hidden secrets of Budapest: the overlooked sights, and the obscure details that you “may have passed by already or maybe never heard of”.
There is a remarkable mixture of unusual things to discover. As you might expect, there are reminders of the Soviet era and of the Second World War, and reference to the city’s diverse communities, including the Jews and the Freemasons.
There are artworks and architectural details (including lots of grand staircases), natural spaces, and relics of social and industrial history. And, as with all the books in this series, you will find a few quirks and surprises…
Hidden In Plain Sight
As you read this book you start to realise that even the busiest areas can conceal a few secrets. The Castle Hill area may be swarming with tourists, but it is also home to numerous hidden details, from a flying nun sculpture, to little known frescoes detailing the history of Hungary, to the remains of a 13th century monastery inside a modern hotel.
Elsewhere in the city you can find lesser known aspects of popular tourist attractions. High in the Buda Hills the numerous visitors to the Children’s Railway are often unaware of the Train Shed (open during special events only), with its historic locomotives and a variety of communist-era artefacts. And did you know that it is possible to go underground to explore the source of the thermal springs that feed the world-famous Gellert Baths?
Museums, Gardens… And Unique Experiences
But the main pleasure of Secret Budapest is the unique things to discover as you explore the city. There are quirky museums – one dedicated to pinball machines and another to barbers’ tools (you can even get your hair cut at this one). And where else would you encounter a museum of waste recycling?
The reader is introduced to secret gardens (including more than one Japanese garden), and an ancient swamp. We see a mosaic composed from musical notes in the Kálvin tér metro station, dog pawprints forever preserved in Roman masonry, and some re-sited fragments of the Berlin Wall.
And around the city centre is a whole series of “mini statues”. These can be hard to spot because each is just a few centimetres high, and they may be hidden in niches or on walls or fences. The collection so far includes a Rubik’s Cube, Noah’s Ark and Winnie the Pooh, amongst many others, but new specimens keep appearing…
How To Use Secret Budapest
The book is divided into different areas, each with a map showing the best places to visit in each part of the city. There are 140 main entries, with information about other places nearby. Each entry has photographs and visiting details, including opening times and transport directions. And there is an impressive amount of detail about every place listed.
More than just a guide to your exploration of Budapest, Secret Budapest is a way to see the city through new eyes. Dip into it before you travel, and again when you return. There will always be something new to discover.
Secret Budapest, Géza Papp, Jonglez Publishing, 2024, 9782361954451
